Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Alon Humphrey | Chaplain (Col.) David A. Bowlus, a guest speaker, delivers remarks on leadership,...... read more read more
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FORT BLISS, Texas — Soldiers and community members gathered at the Centennial Banquet and Conference Center for the annual Fort Bliss Community Prayer Breakfast April 23.
Hosted by the Fort Bliss Religious Support Office, the National Prayer Breakfast brought together military leaders to foster spiritual resiliency and strengthen community among Soldiers, families and civilians. This year’s event emphasized fellowship, shared prayer and reinforced the foundation of spiritual readiness.
Maj. Gen. Curtis Taylor, commanding general of the 1st Armored Division and Fort Bliss, introduced the speaker for this year’s event. Taylor’s remarks framed the purpose of the gathering and emphasized the deeper habits that sustain effective leadership.
He highlighted how a private spiritual practice often influences leaders and their command presence more than any formal requirement.
“I can tell you, in 32 years of doing this, there is no greater personal discipline you can have as a leader, no greater habit that you can build in your personal exercise as a leader. It’s more important than PT, it’s more important than getting enough sleep at night, and it’s more important than having discipline to get out and communicate and talk among your Soldiers,” Taylor said.
Taylor added, “The most important discipline that you can have as a leader is to get on your knees and pray for those who have been placed under your leadership.”
This year’s guest speaker, Col. David Bowlus, the cadet chaplain at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, spent his career mentoring the next generation of military officers. He began his service as a tanker in 1993, valuing the clarity and camaraderie of the profession. Five and a half years later, a call to ministry led him into the Chaplain Corps.
“Being with Soldiers in the hardest times, being with Soldiers and helping them to find strength in God, was just wonderful — and it still is,” Bowlus said.
Serving as the 75th Ranger Regiment’s chaplain during a period of heavy loss, he reflected on the experiences that shaped his understanding of leadership and compassion.
“I want you to remember this — your influence as a leader rises and falls with your soul. It’s like your inner command post; it’s where your thoughts, emotions and will are formed,” he said.
Bowlus focused on Psalm 121 during the breakfast, noting the passage begins with a leader’s decision.
“From where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”
He then turned to the audience and posed a challenging question, “Where do you look when life’s hardest moments close in, and the pressure becomes overwhelming?”
Bowlus explained that some people turn inward, relying only on themselves, while others look outward and try to numb the pain instead of confronting it.
“When the many outputs exceed your inputs, your upkeep becomes your downfall,” he said before offering three warning signs for the soul.
“First, notice what you run to, so you don’t feel what you’re carrying,” Bowlus said. “Second, watch how you react — if you lose your composure in the same situations, it’s probably not the situation. And third, pay attention to what comes out of you when you’re tired. ‘Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.’ What comes out under stress matters.”
Emphasizing his appreciation for the prayer breakfast, Bowlus shifted to what he called the way forward: tell the truth about what’s really going on, lead yourself before leading others and look up.
“Some burdens and wounds,” he said, “can only be carried with grace and the help of God.”
Bowlus closed his message by challenging the audience to conduct preventative maintenance checks and services [PMCS] on their soul for the next 14 days — taking time each day to honestly assess what they are carrying and what needs attention.
He left commanders with a final reminder, “Your Soldiers need from you not just your competence; they need your presence.”
He added that when the 1st Armored Division is called to go, leaders should go whole — with their souls intact. “Tell the truth, be yourself and look up. And don’t just go, but go whole.”
| Date Taken: | 05.04.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 05.04.2026 19:32 |
| Story ID: | 564353 |
| Location: | FORT BLISS, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 33 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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